Effects of acute alcohol ingestion on neuromotor functions

Alcohol induces apoptosis and autophagy in microglia BV-2 cells

Alcohol (ethanol) has proven to be toxic to nearly all organs, with the brain being one of the principal targets. As one of the important components of the brain's blood-brain barrier (BBB) and central nervous system, the state of microglia may be associated with some symptoms of alcohol intoxication. In the present study, microglia BV-2 cells were exposed to various concentrations of alcohol for 3 or 12 h, imitating different stages of drunkenness after alcohol use, respectively. From the perspective of the autophagy-phagocytosis axis, our findings show that alcohol alters autophagy levels or promotes apoptosis in BV-2 cells. The current study adds to the understanding of the action mechanisms of alcohol neurotoxicity. We anticipate that this study will increase public awareness of alcohol's negative effects and contribute to the creation of novel alcoholism treatment approaches.

Automated assessment of alcohol-induced impairment of balance in male and female social drinkers

The acute administration of alcohol reliably impairs the ability to balance when standing. The standardized field sobriety test uses alcohol-induced impairment of body stability to indicate probable alcohol intoxication. Given that body sway is used in the detection of alcohol impairment and intoxication, it is surprising that little research with humans has incorporated new technology that provides automated neuromuscular control assessment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the dose response to the acute effects of alcohol below and at the legal limit for driving in the United States on balance impairments, as measured by the Biosway Portable Balance System (Biodex Medical Systems, Inc.). Fourteen social drinkers attended 3 separate sessions during which they received alcohol (0.0, 0.3, and 0.6 g/kg alcohol). Body sway with eyes open and eyes closed was assessed at 45 min after dose administration when breath alcohol concentration was peaking for both active alcohol doses (.04g% and .08g%). The results indicated that body sway was significantly increased in the 0.6 g/kg alcohol conditions when compared with the placebo and 0.3 g/kg alcohol conditions. Body sway was not significantly elevated in the 0.3 g/kg alcohol condition compared with placebo. The results from this study suggest that this new technology may be of interest to alcohol researchers and the police as a more precise assessment of balance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Influence of poor preparation and sleep deficit on injury incidence in amateur small field football of both gender

INTRODUCTION

Amateur small-field football tournaments are rather common worldwide. Adequate preparation is essential for injury prevention. The consequences of insufficient injury preparation at this level are still unclear. This study investigates the factors influencing injuries in this football population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In 2017, medical students participating in a national amateur football tournament were analysed in a prospective cohort study. Injury incidence, injury pattern and factors influencing injuries were investigated according to the statement on data collection and injury definition of Fuller et al. (Br J Sports Med 40:193-201, 2006). Preparation for the tournament was assessed for both sexes by means of hours of sleep, alcohol consumption, training level and warm-up performance.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

II.

RESULTS

Of 694 amateur football players (423 men and 271 women) with a mean age of 23 years (SD 2.5), 321 (21.1%) injuries happened during the tournament. 60% of injuries affected the lower extremity. The most common types of traumatic injury were skin abrasions (40.0%) and muscle strains (23.3%). The injury incidence of male players during match exposure was 469 per 1000 h football and significantly higher than in female players 313 (p = 0.025). One potential reason for the higher injury rate of male players as measure for inadequate preparation was significantly higher alcohol consumption the evening before the tournament (p < 0.001) and the after-effects on match day (p < 0.001). Additionally, male players reported less and inadequate sleep the night before the tournament (p < 0.007) and a lower warm-up rate before the matches compared to female players (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Small-field tournaments in football have a high injury incidence. Male players have a higher injury incidence than female players and show additionally a lack of sleep and alcohol consumption the night before the tournament and poor warm-up performance on match day. Adequate preparation for a football tournament is the key factor for preventing injuries, also in recreational football.

Alcohol-Induced Impairment of Balance is Antagonized by Energy Drinks

BACKGROUND

The acute administration of alcohol reliably impairs balance and motor coordination. While it is common for consumers to ingest alcohol with other stimulant drugs (e.g., caffeine, nicotine), little is known whether prototypical alcohol-induced balance impairments are altered by stimulant drugs. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the coadministration of a high-caffeine energy drink with alcohol can antagonize expected alcohol-induced increases in body sway.

METHODS

Sixteen social drinkers (of equal gender) participated in 4 separate double-blind dose administration sessions that involved consumption of alcohol and energy drinks, alone and in combination. Following dose administration, participants completed automated assessments of balance stability (both eyes open and eyes closed) measured using the Biosway Portable Balance System. Participants completed several subjective measures including self-reported ratings of sedation, stimulation, fatigue, and impairment. Blood pressure and pulse rate were recorded repeatedly.

RESULTS

The acute administration of alcohol increased body sway, and the coadministration of energy drinks antagonized this impairment. When participants closed their eyes, alcohol-induced body sway was similar whether or not energy drinks were ingested. While alcohol administration increased ratings of sedation and fatigue, energy drink administration increased ratings of stimulation and reduced ratings of fatigue. Modest increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure following energy drink administration were also observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Visual assessment of balance impairment is frequently used to indicate that an individual has consumed too much alcohol (e.g., as part of police-standardized field sobriety testing or by a bartender assessing when someone should no longer be served more alcohol). The current findings suggest that energy drinks can antagonize alcohol-induced increases in body sway, indicating that future work is needed to determine whether this observation regarding neuromotor functioning applies to alcohol in combination with all types of stimulant drugs.

Acute Effects of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Postural Stability in Older Adults

This study involved healthy community-living older adults in an investigation of the association between moderate alcohol consumption (AC) and acute changes in postural stability and whether the association differed according to pre-AC balance skills. Thirty-nine moderate drinkers aged ≥ 65 years (62% women; mean age: 73.9 ± 6.1 years) consumed a moderate dose of alcohol (0.4 g/kg; administered as two drinks). Breath alcohol concentration and postural stability were measured at five time points (pre-AC and 40, 80, 120, and 160 minutes post-AC) using unipedal stance time (UPST) and center of pressure (CoP) displacement. Pre-AC UPST was used to categorize participants into good-balance (≥30 seconds) and poor-balance (<30 seconds) groups. Peak breath alcohol concentration was 30 mg/dL at 40 minutes post-AC. For all participants, postural stability declined significantly at 80 minutes post-AC (UPST, p = .005; anterior–posterior CoP displacement, p = .029). While the poor-balance group did not show a significant decrease in UPST duration over the course of the study, the good-balance group experienced significant decline at 80 minutes compared with baseline ( p < .001) and remained above the 30-second UPST cutoff. Both groups experienced similar worsening in anterior–posterior CoP displacement at 80 minutes post-AC. Thus, moderate AC was associated with acute decline in postural stability in older adults. The worsened anterior–posterior CoP displacement post-AC in the poor-balance group was of particular concern because these participants were already at lower balance functioning pre-AC. Larger, more representative studies of varying groups of participants are needed to further explore how this change relates to fall incidents and fall risk.

Characteristics of hand tremor and postural sway in patients with fetal-type Minamata disease

About forty certified patients aged around 50 years old existed as living witnesses to fetal-type Minamata disease (methylmercury poisoning due to in utero exposure) in Minamata, Japan in 2006. Computerized hand tremor and postural sway tests with spectral analysis were conducted for 24 of them and in matched control subjects to examine the pathophysiological feature of neuromotor function. The tremor intensities of the patients with fetal-type Minamata disease were significantly larger than those of the 67 controls at every frequency band for both hands. In the patients, proportions for intensity at 1-6 Hz of both hands were larger, but those of the intensity at 6-10 Hz were smaller compared with the controls. The center frequency of a tremor was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. Only eight males of the 24 patients were examined to evaluate postural sway because of extremely low scores in activities of daily living in the remaining. Most of the postural sway parameters obtained with eyes open and closed were significantly larger in the patients than in the male controls. Likewise, Romberg quotients of postural sway in anterior-posterior direction were significantly higher in the patients. In conclusion, the patients with fetal-type Minamata disease of our study showed a larger tremor of low frequency at less than 6 Hz and postural instability. Spectral analyses of computerized hand tremor and postural sway are suggested to be useful for assessing the pathophysiological change, related to a lesion of the cerebellum, resulting from prenatal methylmercury exposure.

Pharmacodynamic interactions of a solid formulation of sodium oxybate and ethanol in healthy volunteers

AIM

The pharmacologic effects of sodium oxybate (SO) have a number of similarities with those of alcohol. This study evaluated the pharmacodynamic interaction of SMO.IR (a solid immediate release formulation of SO) and alcohol (0.7 (males) or 0.57 (females) g kg(-1) alcohol using 40% vodka).

METHODS

In a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, crossover trial, 24 healthy volunteers received randomly a) 2.25 g SMO.IR and placebo alcohol preparation, b) 2.25 g f SMO.IR and alcohol, c) 2.25 g SMO.IR matching placebo and alcohol and d) 2.25 g of SMO.IR matching placebo and placebo alcohol preparation. Objective and subjective cognitive parameters, adverse events and vital signs were assessed before, 15 and 165 min after treatment administration.

RESULTS

Alcohol produced the expected cognitive impairment and the expected subjective sedation rapidly after intake (from 15 min). The objective effects of SMO.IR were much less pronounced than those of alcohol. The reverse was observed for subjective complaints, which were related to lesser stimulation and greater sedation. Nevertheless, 165 min after administration this sedation feeling was less with SMO.IR than with alcohol. There was a significant interaction between SMO.IR and alcohol at 15 min (i.e. increase in alertness and stimulation and decrease in sedation). In addition, an isolated mild decrease in digit vigilance accuracy occurred at 165 min post-dose after the combination. The co-administration of SMO.IR and alcohol was safe and well-tolerated.

CONCLUSION

SMO.IR and alcohol have distinct adverse effect profiles. The objective effects of SMO.IR are much less marked than those of alcohol. No deleterious interaction was observed.

Static posturography in addicted to illicit drugs and alcohol

The use of illicit drugs and alcohol can affect body balance.

AIM

To evaluate balance control with static posturography in individuals addicted to illicit drugs, with or without alcohol abuse.

STUDY DESIGN

Case-control, prospective.

METHODS

47 users of illicit drugs, with or without alcohol abuse, and a homogeneous control group consisting of 47 healthy individuals were submitted to a neurotological evaluation including Balance Rehabilitation Unit posturography.

RESULTS

The stability threshold mean values were significantly lower (p < 0.0001) in users of illicit drugs, with or without alcohol abuse when compared to the control group; the mean values for sway velocity and ellipse area in all evaluated conditions were significantly higher (p <0.05) in the experimental group when compared to the control group, except for the ellipse area in static force surface and opened eyes (p = 0.168).

CONCLUSION

The balance control of individuals addicted to illicit drugs with or without alcohol abuse could present stability threshold, sway velocity and ellipse area abnormalities in static posturography.

MRI-related static magnetic stray fields and postural body sway: a double-blind randomized crossover study

We assessed postural body sway performance after exposure to movement induced time-varying magnetic fields in the static magnetic stray field in front of a 7 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Using a double blind randomized crossover design, 30 healthy volunteers performed two balance tasks (i.e., standing with eyes closed and feet in parallel and then in tandem position) after standardized head movements in a sham, low exposure (on average 0.24 T static magnetic stray field and 0.49 T·s(-1) time-varying magnetic field) and high exposure condition (0.37 T and 0.70 T·s(-1)). Personal exposure to static magnetic stray fields and time-varying magnetic fields was measured with a personal dosimeter. Postural body sway was expressed in sway path, area, and velocity. Mixed-effects model regression analysis showed that postural body sway in the parallel task was negatively affected (P < 0.05) by exposure on all three measures. The tandem task revealed the same trend, but did not reach statistical significance. Further studies are needed to investigate the possibility of independent or synergetic effects of static magnetic stray field and time-varying magnetic field exposure. In addition, practical safety implications of these findings, e.g., for surgeons and others working near magnetic resonance imaging scanners need to be investigated.

The laser-pointer assisted angle reproduction test for evaluation of proprioceptive shoulder function in patients with instability

INTRODUCTION

Over the last decade, proprioceptive function gained increasing attention in joint disorders such as instability of the shoulder. Common tests for evaluation of proprioception are limited by their complexity and high technical demands. Thus, they are hardly applicable during daily routine. Our hypothesis was that the simplified "laser-pointer assisted angle reproduction test" (LP-ART) presented here allows for clinically feasible assessment of proprioceptive shoulder function.

METHODS

Active angle reproduction capability as an aspect of sensorimotor function was evaluated with the new method in patients with shoulder instability (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 24). 15 patients had traumatic, 9 non-traumatic anterior instability (6 bilateral), 17 were treated surgically, 13 non-operatively. Tests were performed in flexion and abduction in different angles (55°, 90°, 125°) in randomized order.

RESULTS

Angle reproduction capability was worst below shoulder level (55°) in all groups. Best results were achieved at shoulder level (90°). Healthy controls showed overall better results than patients with instability. Patients after surgical stabilization had better results in 55° and 90° abduction compared to instability patients before surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

The new LP-ART presented here is a technically simple, yet effective instrument for evaluation of the proprioceptive function of the shoulder. In contrast to former test setups it is feasible in daily routine. Compared to healthy controls, patients with unstable shoulder joints show significant proprioceptive disorders that can be quantified by the LP-ART.

Neuromotor effects of short-term and long-term exposures to trichloroethylene in workers

BACKGROUND

Health effects of long-term exposure to organic solvents at low levels are a major concern in industrialized countries. To assess the neuromotor impact of trichloroethylene objectively, static postural sway and hand tremor parameters, along with urinary trichloroethanol (TCOH) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) levels, were investigated in 57 workers without obvious neurological disorders and 60 control subjects.

METHODS

The workers had been occupationally exposed to trichloroethylene for 0.1-37 years. The cumulative exposure index (CEI) was calculated from their occupational history and total trichloro-compounds (TCOH + TCAA).

RESULTS

Median levels in the workers were 1.7 mg/L for TCOH and 2.5 mg/L for TCAA, and the maximum ambient trichloroethylene concentration was estimated to be <22 ppm from the previously reported equation using TCOH + TCAA. Sway parameters with eyes open and tremor intensity in dominant hand were significantly larger in the exposed workers than in the control subjects when adjusting for possible confounders. A significant dose-effect association was seen between two sway parameters and urinary TCOH level in the workers. Tremor intensities in non-dominant hand differed significantly among three groups of the workers divided according to the CEI.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that trichloroethylene exposure, even at low levels of less than the short-term exposure limit by the ACGIH, can affect the neuromotor function of workers. The postural instability appears to result from recent exposure, and the increased tremor may occur due to short-term and long-term exposures. Hereafter, such objective measures, along with subjective symptoms, should be carefully used for the occupational exposure limit setting.

Human and laboratory rodent low response to alcohol: is better consilience possible?

If people are brought into the laboratory and given alcohol, there are pronounced differences among individuals in many responses to the drug. Some participants in alcohol challenge protocols show a cluster of 'low level of responses to alcohol' determined by observing post-drinking-related changes in subjective, motor and physiological effects at a given dose level. Those individuals characterized as having low level of response (LR) to alcohol have been shown to be at increased risk for a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence (AD), and this relationship between low LR and AD appears to be in part genetic. LR to alcohol is an area where achieving greater consilience between the human and the rodent phenotypes would seem to be highly likely. However, despite extensive data from both human and rodent studies, few attempts have been made to evaluate the human and animal data systematically in order to understand which aspects of LR appear to be most directly comparable across species and thus the most promising for further study. We review four general aspects of LR that could be compared between humans and laboratory animals: (1) behavioral measures of subjective intoxication; (2) body sway; (3) endocrine responses; and (4) stimulant, autonomic and electrophysiological responses. None of these aspects of LR provide completely face-valid direct comparisons across species. Nevertheless, one of the most replicated findings in humans is the low subjective response, but, as it may reflect either aversively valenced and/or positively valenced responses to alcohol as usually assessed, it is unclear which rodent responses are analogous. Stimulated heart rate appears to be consistent in animal and human studies, although at-risk subjects appear to be more rather than less sensitive to alcohol using this measure. The hormone and electrophysiological data offer strong possibilities of understanding the neurobiological mechanisms, but the rodent data in particular are rather sparse and unsystematic. Therefore, we suggest that more effort is still needed to collect data using refined measures designed to be more directly comparable in humans and animals. Additionally, the genetically mediated mechanisms underlying this endophenotype need to be characterized further across species.